Let’s Study Ephesians 4 (Part 4) Together!

By: Dominica Dottery

This Weeks Scripture: Ephesians 4

Parallel Scriptures:

• 1 Corinthians 3:1-3

• 2 Corinthians 13:5

• Hebrews 12:6

• John 14:6

• Hebrews 13: 8

• John 8: 31-32

• Mark 4:15

• Psalm 1:1

• Psalm 119:105

Guiding Questions:

• When is the last time you asked God…how can I serve you?

• How often do you seek to put on your new self and drop the old self?

• What are your kingdom gifts? Are you cultivating those gifts?

Notes:

Out of God’s generosity, we are each given gifts that serve as a part in God’s overall plan. Instead of keeping our gifts to ourselves, our goal should be to mature spiritually and focus on using the gifts God gave us to do OUR part.

This goes back to stewardship, being a good steward, which means to manage or look after someone else’s property. EVERYTHING we have, does not belong to us, it belongs to God. Think of it as loan.  God is loaning me all the things I possess and now it is up to me to decide what I’m going to do with it. God is the owner, but I am only the manager. We are called to be good stewards of our gifts, our time, our influence, our health, our relationships, our money, our opportunities, and every other thing we have.

Some of the gifts that God has given- apostles prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers! God made it clear that he wants us to work together in unity where everybody has a part in His plan. He designed it in such a way that nobody is left out, and everybody has something to bring. We are no longer children that get tossed around and easily deceived. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth, and to tell it in love. We need to look beyond focusing on always getting our needs met, and gradually grow into spiritual maturity. In other words, behavior is a great indicator of how spiritually mature you really are, especially how we react under pressure. It is like going to the doctor to get a regular checkup. On a regular basis, we need to be doing a heart check.

When you are firmly rooted and grounded in God’s word, nothing can shift you… You will always be open to learning and growing…. And you will have spiritual discernment to know what is true and what’s false, so you won’t be deceived. As you grow in truth, you learn to follow the example of Christ. The truth never changes.  God will never contradict himself, which is why we go back to his word with everything. Walking in truth will set us free from fear, worry, anxiety, sin unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment, or any other type of bondage.

The truth is we live in a dark world, but if we look at God’s word as light, as we navigate through life on earth, we are able to use His words like a flashlight to see where we’re going. If we gain all this knowledge, but we never practice it, then we will not grow. This is why God has called us to be in community. When we are in relationship with one another, we must consistently apply what we have learned, and when we do, the entire body of Christ benefits. But remember, there is a time to be around people, and there is a time to be in isolation with God. But, if you are in total isolation, all the time, it is going to be harder grow and mature.

 Paul frequently talks about carnal or fleshly Christians, who are saved by grace, but when you look at their behavior you can’t really tell the difference between them and somebody who hasn’t yet received Christ because they’re still operating in their flesh. If I say I’ve been walking with God for X amount of years, then I won’t consistently make habits of doing the same old immature things I was doing X amount of years ago when God found me. Sure, I stumble, Sure I do not always get it right, but when you walk with God, moving towards excellence becomes something that you practice regularly. You are constantly growing, constantly maturing, and becoming more and more like Christ. Paul is giving a reminder to not live as unbelievers.

We have already come to know Christ, so we do not have the excuse of ignorance. Everything connected to the old life we used to live before we knew Christ, must go. That still does not mean that Satan will not try to distract us, especially when we hear or study God’s word.

If we hear or read God’s word, he doesn’t want it to take root in our hearts, so he’ll send distractions to try to keep us from fully receiving it and allowing it to resonate deep inside of us. Be careful who you let in your inner circle. You become, who you hang around. If we are constantly hanging around people with certain habits, we tend to pick up those habits, good or bad. It is foolish to follow the example of somebody that does not have God in their hearts. Instead of following what others are doing around us, we look to Christ, we follow HIM…who ALWAYS gets it right, and then we go out and be an example because we’re allowing the love of God to be revealed through our behavior.

Guiding Prayer:

Lord we know that we are created in your image, we know that we have gifts that are unique to each one of us! Lord we ask that you teach us how to use those gifts to give you glory! Teach us how to walk in your image and live a life that always glorifies you! Lord we desire to be more like you! So, help us God to give you the glory! Lord we thank you for this now! Amen!

References: Meyer, J. (2019). Ephesians: Biblical commentary. New York, NY: FaithWords. ; Daily Hope with Rick Warren - Devotional. (2020, October 16). Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://pastorrick.com/devo